Amanda hurry up!
No! No! No! don’t use that, you will mess up your clothes and we spend more time changing again.
CHINEDU??? Where are you? We are late. Hurry up!
Bia, (come) you are still eating that food? Be fast and don’t mess up your clothes o!
Oh my God it’s already 7:30am and you have not showered yet.
Dominion!!! come downstairs the driver is waiting!
Chiamaka wake up, you are in school already!
I know it feels surreal how you wake up in the morning and you are yelling and groaning at your children simply because you want them to go to school early and do that hastily.
The holiday is over and there was a drastic and unpreventable shift during the holiday. This holiday was filled with so much activity. For me, it was fun and merry. Visiting the village, friends and family. Eating all kinds of nutritious meals -not just rice, healthy drinks and snacks.
Daily evening discussions on a round table with family or just sitting on separate chairs around the corners of the building, laughing and gisting with folks was basic.
Most times, if not all the time, you find out that your children are also involved, right under your watch . Some sleep at intervals and wake up to join you and still go back to sleep. You did not enforce your normal bedtime routine, which ensures that by 8pm the kids have gone to bed. No! They were part of that fun. Even when you want to enforce it, they want more of their grannies, to hear stories and just have fun, and that was just fine.
Now take a listen 👂.
All those activities were very important if you engaged in them this festive season, especially for Christians.
Just the way you allowed those children to take part in those activities consciously, without aggression. You must also consciously and patiently return them back to their normal routine without aggression. 👌
However, morning hours is very crucial to everyone.
For children, learning might not take place when the child is psychologically imbalanced.❌
If your aim of sending that child to school that morning is to go and learn, please make that morning a very happy morning for that child.🙏
I bet you, learning will not take place if that child is affected by those your yelling.
Here are five attainable process to embark on to ensure you don’t yell at your child before going to school in the morning:
•LET YOUR CHILD GO TO BED ON TIME:
When your child goes to bed on time, it’s only normal for the child to wake up early. It saves you the stress of trying to make the child stay awake. For now, you can do 9pm, then gradually to 8pm if this time was the former bed time for your child. Practice this for a week consciously and they are back to the normal routine.
•READ BEDTIME STORIES FOR YOUR CHILDREN:
If you have toddlers, this strategy works perfectly well. I would say it is sedative. In some cases even for preteens and teenagers. When is time to read any story, Bible story etc. Let them come together, either in the bed or just in the room. Once the story is over, say a prayer and everyone goes to bed. For me, once we say our “bedtime prayer”, my children knows nothing else is happening after that prayer order than to sleep. So initiate something that ends the day for your children in your home. My idea can be a great one.
•DON’T OVER LABOUR THE CHILD: Most times parents send children on too many errands that they forget they are humans and not machines. Especially those with house helps/foster children etc. These children get tired. Always create an avenue of rest for them so they can function better. Wake up early and go to school.
•HAVE A FUNCTIONAL ROUTINE:
Everything we do in live functions on structure. Consciously or unconsciously you function on a structure/routine.
Have a FUNCTIONAL routine that the family follows. Structure your home intentionally. There should be lol time for everything. A child should not be watching cartoon by 10pm. What do you expect? Functional routines will help your children behave well even when you step out of the home. It will guide them to know what to do, and when to do it.
•INTRODUCE TIME MANAGEMENT CULTURE:
If you don’t have a big wall clock, invest in one. A clock bold enough for the children to see.
Let them always look at it and know what activity they are doing at the time of checking the clock.
For instance, when they are having launch , let them say what time it is. When they are doing their assignments, let them check the time and see what time it is, etc. It helps them to know what to do per time.
This works in tandem with a Home with a Functional Routine. So for the time management culture to yield expected result , just get a pen and paper NOW and structure the day for your children if you haven’t.
Structure based on your family peculiarities.
Some tips to guide you:
*State what time to wake up.
*What time to eat breakfast
*Time to go to school.
*Time for lunch (depending on when they get back from school)
*Time for siesta
*Time for assignments
*relaxation time
*Bedtime , etc.
(Feel free to add more activities peculiar to your home.)
I take delight in helping parent overcome some parenting struggles. I hope this helps.
Like, comment and share.
Much love
~Sandra Ani